Billy Joel to Release First New Song in 17 Years as He Teases ‘Turn the Lights Back On’ on Instagram

Piano Man is about to sing us a brand new song!

Billy Joel has officially announced the release of his first single in 17 years, “Turn the Lights Back On”.

The song – which he teased on Instagram on Monday – will be released on streaming platforms on February 1, along with a lyric video. It will also be released on limited edition 7-inch vinyl.

“Turn the Lights Back On” is the legendary singer-songwriter’s first new material since 2007, when he released the one-off singles “All My Life,” which he wrote for then-wife Katie Lee, and “Christmas in Fallujah” with musician Cass Dillon.

Billy Joel performs with daughters Della and Remy at Madison Square Garden

Joel, 74, wrote the song with Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and the track’s producer, Freddy Wexler, who has worked on songs for artists including Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Post Malone.

The Grammy winner teased it on stage last year, telling the audience: “We have something we’ve been working on and you might hear sometime.”

Before his 2007 singles, Joel retired from songwriting entirely, releasing only covers — including Carole King’s “Hey Girl” and Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” — since his 1993 album. River of dreams.

Reflecting on his decision to stop writing songs in a 2018 interview with Vulture, Joel simply said, “When I stopped writing songs, it was time.”

“I couldn’t be as good as I wanted and it was driving me crazy. I was driving my loved ones crazy,” he told the newspaper. “I thought, ‘This is ridiculous.’ So I stopped.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the “Uptown Girl” singer revealed that drinking was “one of the reasons I stopped writing songs.”

“I would drink to try to ease the pain of not being as good as I wanted to be,” Joel told Vulture, adding that “it was a vicious cycle, so I stopped.”

Billy Joel reveals his thoughts on Fall Out Boy’s cover of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’

Billy Joel in the 90s.

Michel Linssen/Redferns

During his 17-year hiatus from songwriting, Joel continued to take the stage to perform his vast — and highly successful — discography, which includes “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Vienna,” “Movin’ Out,” “The Longest” and “Only the good die young”.

He recently announced a handful of massive stadium shows, including several with co-headliners Stevie Nicks and Sting.

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Joel also recently revealed that his iconic ten-year residency at Madison Square Garden in New York will end this year. It will end after his 150th lifetime appearance at the venue on July 25.

“After 10 years, we made it. I mean, I didn’t know it was going to last 10 years,” Joel told PEOPLE last November.

“And I don’t know how long the show is, I’m sure someone somewhere is following it, but I’m surprised that we’ve come this far and it’s an honor,” he added.

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Source: HIS Education